This invention relates in general to apparatus for containing and displaying objects in a single container and more specifically to an apparatus for containing a plurality of objects and displaying them for secure shipping and storage and for ease of viewing and removal from the apparatus.
The music, movie and electronic publishing industries have contributed significantly to the proliferation of compact discs (“CD”) and digital versatile discs (“DVD”) in the marketplace. The music recording industry typically distributes music on single CDs packaged in well-known CD cases and, to a lesser extent, on multiple CDs packaged in customized cases as well. Segments of the electronic publishing industry also distribute multi-disc versions of a wide range of publications such as voluminous books. Securing multi-disc publications in a container for shipping is very important for maintaining the discs' integrity so that electronic data stored on a disc is not damaged.
Many multi-disc cases employ individual sleeves within which discs are enclosed and/or stacking the discs within the case so that all the center holes of the discs are collinear. Such cases may provide security for the discs during transport and storage but do not allow for the discs to be conveniently displayed for an end user to view individual discs without removing them all from the case.
It is also known to package other objects or a plurality of objects such as books, cassettes, floppy disks, cosmetics and/or greeting cards, for example, for shipping, storage and retail sale. Frequently such packaging includes shrink wrapping the objects together and/or packaging them in a container such that all objects must be removed in order to view each object individually. In this respect, an end user cannot easily view all objects in the container and select one object for use without removing all objects from the container or manipulating other objects to make room for selection and removal.